


at the mention of a lost name

by kinokolilz



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fantasy, Inspired by The Legend of Zelda, Legend of Zelda References, Romance, Zelda - Freeform, Zelink Week, botw, breath of the wild - Freeform, link - Freeform, the legend of zelda - Freeform, tloz, zelink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 17:35:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30008484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinokolilz/pseuds/kinokolilz
Summary: After Calamity Ganon is sealed away, Princess Zelda and Link begin to work towards rebuilding Hyrule. While the stress of the calamity is gone, Zelda finds it hard to place her past behind her, instead of focusing on her achievements. As she continues to dwell on her mistakes, news from Kakariko arrives that Impa requests the presence of Zelda immediately. Information regarding dangers beneath the depths of the Great Hebra Mountains is shared, and before long Link and Zelda find themselves journeying the depths of the caves....
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small glimpse of Link's through process before he goes to fight Ganon. This is set before the events of the actual plot line.

“Listen to me when I say, I have no idea what happened 100 years ago. I didn’t know. At least, up until a few months ago. Crazy, right?” Link leans against the stable fence, making an attempt at socializing. The man next to him looked away, smiling through his teeth. Link feels his shoulders begin to sag, and he picks up his sword and swings it over his shoulder. “Er, I should apologize. I’ve never been too great at talking with….” he looks over, to see that the man had walked away, uninterested in his speech. How heartwarming. 

Regardless, he packs up his things and climbs onto his stark-white horse, Artemis, a descendant of the Princess’ Royal Horse. Surely he would be able to make it to Hyrule Castle within the next few days. As he rode down the trail, he waved to a few families staying at the stable. Many of them gave him weird looks, or even pulled their kids away from him. He knew that his job was already burdensome enough, but having the people of Hyrule fear him wasn’t on his list of expectations. He did have to take into consideration the fact that these people weren’t aware that he was the fabled hero, but if they were would they treat him differently? 

Does a title really change how people are seen? 


	2. Wavering Confidence

“Alright, that settles it then,” Zelda sets a book down on the stump of a tree and heaves a sigh. Her long blonde hair was tucked neatly into a braid, with flowers decorating the end, courtesy of a few children in the area. Link observed from afar as he helped lift lumber to and from a group of hylians, as Castle Town began its repairs. Things seemed to be going smoothly--with no more threat from Ganon, it was almost as though Hyrule was like it was 100 years ago.

Well, aside from the destroyed civilizations and millions of lives lost. But that’s besides the point. With a hefty last push, Link lifts the end of the lumber towards the group. His arms were sore beyond point, but at this point he was used to it. 

“Thanks Link," a man helping Link mumbled, "it’s nice to have some younger folks around to help. My grandfather...he always spoke about you. He had seen you accompany the Princess, as her appointed knight countless times. You were quite the topic of conversation in Castle Town leading up to…..” he stops, catching himself on his words. Shaking his head, he waves away the topic and dusts off his hands. Truthfully, the topic of the Calamity was a harder conversation for more Hylians than Link thought. This made for rough progress at the start, but with enough help Castle Town had begun to look more lively. He only dared to think that eventually places like Mabe Village would be able to return to what it once was. 

“Link, I am pleased to see you helping in any way you can. Your physical attributes add much to this area of expertise.” Zelda places her hand on his back, and pats his arm. “I cannot...begin to express how glad...no, that’s not the right word….” she stops to reflect on her wording, and continues, “I am quite pleased to see you succeed where I could not, all those years ago.” Her leaden suspire told Link that she was still dwelling on the past. 

“Your school of thought is not benefitting anyone, Zelda.”

A familiar, yet somewhat obnoxious voice comes from the opposite direction, as Director Purah skips over to them from down the road. Zelda looks disoriented, almost lost at sea as she stares, before pulling Link aside. 

“Who is this child? Someone you met on your travels?” 

Link rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “Er….its Purah. She messed around a bit too much with technology and really screwed up the aging process.”

Zelda gives him a befuddled look. “But it’s still Purah! I mean, mentally and emotionally. Just not physically..”

With a somewhat hesitant nod, she turns to look back at an irritated Purah. “I may be small, but I am still the friend I was to you 100 years ago. Looks can be deceiving!” she beams at the Princess as her irritated scowl turns into a friendly welcoming. 

“Purah….it really is...a blessing to see you again. I knew that when Link defeated Ganon, I’d be able to see my friends again. Oh, how I’ve come to miss you so much!” she giggled, doing her best not to cry, although her eyes continued to water. Link knew that 100 years was a long time, and he also knew Zelda was quite the sociable person. The joy that was swelling in her heart was surely immeasurable. 

“I expect only the most positive outlook from you, Princess. The Calamity has been sealed, there is no point dwelling on the events of the past.” She takes Zelda’s hand and cups hers over them. “The people of Hyrule...they needed me then. And I failed them. So many lives were lost,” Zelda mutters, looking away. Purah squeezes her hand gently. “That was then. The people of Hyrule need you  _ now.  _ And working towards helping them would mean that none of those people died in vain.” 

With a brisk nod and slight, forced smile, Zelda steps back. Purah nods politely at Link and bows her head at the Princess. “I should get back to helping. Click! Snap!” she recounts her infamous line, and bumbles down the road to offer help. 

“For what it’s worth, I think that you’re very strong, Princess. Not just physically. Mentally, and emotionally. I can’t imagine the kind of wear and tear that your heart has been through.” Link takes a seat on the edge of the road, just against the soft, grassy plains of Hyrule. Although many structures remained crumbled, decayed or destroyed, Link was still so glad that nature continued to thrive. Almost. 

“Thank you, that’s….a lot to hear from you.” She beams naturally at him, her big, round blue eyes more alluring than the sea. It moved him, emotionally on the inside, and he took her hand in his. 

“Of course,” he replies. 

For a few moments they both sit in silence and continue observing the work being done. Zelda pulls out a chart board and begins checking off a few things. 

“Was the lumber finished being loaded?” she inquires. With a simple, silent nod, the sandy-blonde boy sits back and watches Zelda mutter to herself about what else was to be done. She checked lumber & wood supplies off the list. 

“You should...you know, find some time to rest. It was only last week that Calamity Ganon was sealed. You haven’t properly rested since then.” 

Zelda begins to oblige, but Link stops her. “Ah-ah-ah, no. Tomorrow, you should take a break from all this. I can stay here to oversee it, if you’d like. It wouldn’t be an issue.” 

She looks at the few workers left, getting ready to pack up for the night. “I think….I would like that. I would like that very much, yes!” she nods, but her hands curl into fists, as she rests them on her thighs. 

“Relax. It’ll all be under control, I promise.” 

“That’s what I thought you’d say,” she responds, tucking hair behind her ear. Link smirks back at her.

“Well, I guess I do kind of think loud, don’t I?” 

“It sure makes up for being such a quiet guy!” she jokes, leaning into him gently. He responds by intertwining his fingers with hers, causing her to unclench her fists. 

“Oh, sorry. I guess I’m so awed in reverence by the Princess that I’m always at a lack of words!”

“You are  _ not! _ ” 

“Am too.”

“Not.”

“Okay, okay. You’re right.”

“Wait, what?”

Link looks away, towards Hyrule Castle. 

“Yeah. Sometimes, even ‘awe’ isn’t the right word when you’re dealing with such beauty.” 

Zelda blushes and lets go off his hand. “Oh, shut up!” 

They both share a good laugh until the last few men finally pack up. “Everything’s all cleared Princess, would you like us to walk you back to the Castle?” a few of the newly appointed soldiers approached the two. Zelda looks at them, then at Link, who is staring off again. His vibrantly colored eyes reflect that of bravery. She gripped her sleeve, and shook her head. Her cheeks turn a shade of pink.

“No, thank you. I’ve got everything I need with me.” 

* * *

The following night, Link tossed and turned in bed as he heard the noises of nature outside his window. Groggily, he gets up to close it, his bare feet hitting the cold, wood floor of his quarters. Lots of areas had been destroyed in the castle, however, Zelda was able to section off her study for the time being to make it into Link’s room. She promised him once the castle was finished being remodeled, he would have his own room, just down the hall. 

Outside it was dark. 

Unsettling. 

Link had been shrouded in darkness too many times, from Divine Beast Vah Rudania to Thyphlo Ruins, and it never sat right with him. He could be put up against a Lynel as many times as possible, but darkness….he just couldn’t see past it.

Well, figuratively, but also literally. He just couldn’t see through it. And that’s what made him shiver. He never knew what was lurking, and he had to make use of his sense of direction and hearing. And that, my friend, took a lot of concentration. It was tiring. 

However, despite having the odds stacked against him for a long period of time, he made it through. 

“I thought I heard someone rustling around. What are you doing up right now?” Zelda peeks her head in the doorway. It was strange, the way the study had been altered into a room. If you took the bridge connecting the study to the main castle, you’d be just above Zelda’s room. There was a ladder leading to the bridge where her study was, just on the opposite wall in her room. She stepped in, walking up beside him. 

“Sorry. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Oh, well. Neither could I. I was hoping I wasn’t the only one.” 

For a brief second, they stared at each other, studying body language and eye contact. Link finally breaks eye contact, and looks at the desk. 

“You studied a lot. I wish...I wish I was more invested then. I’m sorry,” he mutters. Zelda shrugs. “No point in looking back on it. I’m just glad you are now.” She smiles at him. 

“I was spending a lot of time studying the sword that seals the darkness,” she nods to the sheath Link had lying against his wall. The sheath that housed the Master Sword upon his back during the day.

“You know, it was crafted by an ancient hero ages ago, through the flames of each region. He donned a green tunic, and shaggy blonde hair. Almost sounds like you,” she says. Link sits back on his bed. 

“Yes, well. My name is Link, not ‘boy-who-forged-the-master-sword’”. Zelda laughs, and tilts her head to the side, crossing her arms across her chest. 

“You’d get a kick out of what his name was, then.” 

“No, don’t tell me--”

“Yes. And the one after that, and after. All the way to you. You will be known as a legend for years to come, just like the rest.”

“Great, I’ve always wanted to be the same person reincarnated over and over again.”

“Hey, we’re not so different on that topic. I think….I think I’m in the same boat. My father, he always had books I’d read as a kid. One of them was about the ancient history of Hyrule.” 

Link leans against the bed frame. 

“When will you return the sword?” 

“Hmm?”

“The sword. When will you return it?”

Link tilts his head in confusion. “What do you mean ‘return it’?” he does air-quotes, as to resemble the lack of understanding. 

“Er...you don’t get to keep it. You have to leave it. You know, for the next hero?”

He finally nods as he listens. 

“I think I could’ve been more invested in the past, really. I meant it. Then I’d know more about this….prophecy stuff.” 

“Well, like I said, don’t bother dwelling on it now.”

“But didn’t it bother you?”

“Not in the slightest.”   
“Are you sure, I mean, I was your appointed knight, and you had all these concerns, and all I was….was silent. I assume it had to be--”   
“Okay! Okay. Yes, I hated it! It was very hard to learn to confide in you. We had just barely made it there, when everything fell apart. But like I said, no point on discussing it now.”

Clearly, he had hit a more sensitive topic and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. 

“I should go back to bed. You need rest too,” she stands up from the desk chair and walks out the doorway. 

“Wait, Zelda, I didn’t mean to upset you, I just…” he can’t find the words to continue. She looks back. 

“I know. 100 years seems like a long time ago. But for you and I, it was more than that.” 


End file.
